Back Together Again
by Gunxswordalways
Summary: Sequel to - To Be Reunited Once More- Wendy, Van and now Joshua are deciding to get the team back together to save Yukkiko from the killer that has come back to life... the claw... What will they do now? Many surprises in store
1. Chapter 1: Decisions

"But Van!" Wendy whined, "We can't leave Joshua behind! What about Yukkiko?" They were back in the kitchen inside Wendy's house, bickering at each other on what their next move was.

"Who cares, that is his problem not ours." he mumbled objecting her plea. Van looked out of the kitchen to see Joshua slumped on the couch, snoring extremely loud. He gazed back at Wendy who's arms were now crossed, tapping her foot with a stubborn look on her face.

"I'm not leaving him Van, we can't run away from this!" she insisted waving her arms about.

Van growled irritatedly,_ "She was such a handful at some times." _

"Wendy, I can't afford to lose you. I'm not going to let that son of a bitch kill someone I love." he proclaimed angrily, lifting her chin so that their eyes would meet. Slowly he pressed his lips onto hers, tenderly moving them together. She was crying, and it was killing his heart. Grinding his mouth harder on hers, he grabbed her and smashed her close to his body. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back while she clutched his white fleece, wrinkling it in her tight grasp. They slid to the floor. She laid on top of his body while they embraced each other with every ounce of love being expressed through their body emotions.

Suddenly an alarmed voice came from the living room.

"Wendy? Van? Where are you guys! O no! You left me! How could you leave me?" It was Joshua, and he had just woken up from his slumber.

"Damnit…" Van muttered while Wendy pulled away from his lips and slowly rose up.

"Over here Joshua! It's ok we haven't left, Van and I were just….. uh…" she paused to look over at Van for assistance. He just shrugged and hoisted himself off the floor. She rolled her eyes. " We were just talking in the kitchen!" she cried out to him, trying to sound perky.

"No we w.." Wendy elbowed Van hard in the stomach before he could finish his sentence. He grunted in discomfort, and grabbed her arm so she wouldn't do it again.

"Your lucky I love you very much." he whispered, nibbling playfully on her ear. Smiling and giggling slightly, Wendy bustled into the living room to see Joshua painfully trying to lift himself off of the couch. He smiled at the both of them. Van trailed very closely behind her, playing with the straps of her orange dress that she always wore. Joshua looked at them suspiciously.

"So what are we going to do? Are we going to get the team back together to save Yukkiko!" Joshua asked excitedly.

"Uh… well Joshua, this is your problem. Wendy and I are going to stay far away from this lunatic." Van stated.

"Wa…What? But what about Yukkiko? We need you Van." he cried.

Van looked at him agitated "We? There is no _we_ kid. This is not my problem, and no longer Wendy's either."

Wendy was frustrated. She desperately wanted to help Joshua, but she didn't want to leave Van's side. Sadly her kindheartedness got the best of her.

"Van… I'm going to help Joshua." she said stepping over to Joshua's side "and if you aren't willing to come… then just stay here and hide." she exclaimed, content with her decision and not budging from her position. Van sighed and Wendy suddenly felt his arm wrap around her waist.

"I'm with you Wendy... in what ever you decide." he concluded bending down and kissing her on the cheek.

"Spectacular! Another adventure, the old team is going to be back together!" cheered Joshua enthusiastically.

Van rolled his eyes,"Geez, you are still as annoying as ever." he commented to Joshua.

"Oh you don't mean that Van!" Joshua smiled happily.

"Yes I do." he grumbled, squeezing Wendy's sides.

Wendy started to laugh. Even though she was brought forth with terrible news, she was excited to have to team come back together. Especially with now Van, right on her side as the most important thing in her life.


	2. Chapter 2: Goodbyes

"Ok Kameo, you be good you hear me?" Wendy kneeled down and patted her pet turtle's head. "My friend Laura is going to take good care of you while we are away. She will bring you special treats from the restaurant if you are a good boy." Wendy informed him with a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you." She kissed Kameo on his cheek for the last time and elevated back up from the ground.

"Waaa!" Kameo cried distressed, knowing his owner was departing him. The turtle gazed up at Van. He was leaning on the door post, waiting for Wendy so they could head out. That morning he had summoned Dann and cleaned the roof with him, repairing most of it. It was enough so there wouldn't be any collapsing ceilings while they were gone.

Kameo suddenly waddled up to Van, nudging him with his head.

"Agg!" Van shouted, falling over on the floor. "Damnit Kameo! Don't do that" he yelled, scooting away from the ginormous turtle.

Wendy giggled, watching Van carefully get up while he eyed Kameo cautiously. "Well, here we go again." she sighed, slightly enthused.

"Humph…. As long as I get some more alone time with you, with out being disturbed… then I will manage through with this." he grumbled tipping down his hat.

"Van!" she laughed embarrassed, punching him on the shoulder. "Don't be saying these things while Joshua is still here."

"What?" he asked lifting up his eyes. " Wendy, he is grown up now. I think he can handle hearing more adult contented subjects."

She nodded in agreement._ He was right_. Joshua _was_ as tall as Van now and his face had gotten a lot older, and his hair a lot longer. But he still had those young, innocent, blue eyes that brought some of the child back in him.

He was sitting down on a tree stump outside, scoping out a map to try to see where they would be heading. Noticing the two walking out of the house, he stood up cheerfully. "Great you guys are here! I think we should retrieve Carmen 99 first, and then the old guys. Hopefully with them, we can track down Pricilla!" he jeered happily.

"Uh.." Wendy choked out. She had forgotten about Pricilla. Pricilla had asked Van out right before they all departed…and Van never gave her an answer. Wendy was terribly jealous of her, but what would Pricilla do when she would see Van together with Wendy? Or the matter of fact what how would Van react when he saw Pricilla?

"Is Pricilla that pink haired girl?" Van questioned, trying to remember the names that Joshua had just recently mentioned.

"Van! Don't tell me you forgot everyone?" Wendy cried out dismayingly. Secretly though, she was happy. He had remembered her and hadn't remembered Pricilla.

"No… my memory is just a little blurry that's all." he stated, fidgeting with is hat.

She looked around trying to make sure they had everything. "O, I forgot something!" she suddenly remembered, dashing back into the house. The two guys looked at each other in confusion as they heard rumbling, crashes, and a few irritated yells coming from the house, such as; "Ouch!", "Sorry Kameo!", "O where is the darn thing?" Finally, she skipped back out, clutching her brothers old gun safely to her chest.

Van stared at her with a scrunched face, "You still held onto that…. well as long as it protects you…I guess…"

Joshua cut him off crying with excitement, "Wendy! Your old gun! That's terrific! Wait what about your old suit case you used to drag along?"

"O thank you Joshua!" she exclaimed, hurriedly running back into the house.

Van shot him a look from under his hat, grumbling under his breath.

Joshua looked at him in abashment "Whats wrong Van?"

He growled, "Every time Wendy is hurt or something, I have to lug that damn thing around. It is a pain in the ass."

"O, well I don't think it is." he grinned enthusiastically, "It helped us a lot last time; with medical equipment, food, money, and a place to carry our things. Don't be so lazy Van."

Van's eyes widened angrily "LAZY! Your calling me lazy? I'm gonna show you.."

"Back!"

Wendy came out buoyantly, lugging the suitcase behind her. She looked at the two in confusion on what just had happened. Glaring questioningly at Van, who seemed like he was about to pounce on Joshua, she shrugged it off. It was a normal reaction between those two, but they always got along in the end.

"So where are we going to now?" she asked eagerly.

Joshua looked back down to his map,"Well, if my calculations are correct, we are heading back to Carmen's old home in Trinolia. Apparently she is spending her days there now, head of the town." he proposed.

"Alright, we better get going then." Van said, taking Wendy's arm gently and pulling her forward, keeping her close to his side. Joshua trailed behind like a puppy dog, parading out of Wendy's town Evergreen, as they headed to the nearest train station to go to Trinolia.


	3. Chapter 3: Surprises in Trinolia

Four hours had past, while the three very perturbed travelers rode silently on a train to Trinolia. Joshua sat across from Wendy and Van, who were sitting extremely close together. He was fast asleep; head cocked back, mouth wide open, and had drool dribbling down the side of his face. It had appeared Wendy had nodded off also. Her head rested lightly on Van's shoulder while she clutched his arm tightly in her slumber. Van appeared to be the only one aroused and on guard. He sat there staring out the window, clutching his sword with one hand, ready to attack if necessary. He couldn't doze off for his mind was restless. He peered down at Wendy, snoozing peacefully as if there were no troubles in the world.

_"She is so innocent and… wonderful…. " _ pausing for a second to stroke a lock of hair out of her face with his free hand. "_She always ends up getting herself in danger though." _ he grimaced, clenching his teeth, as flash backs of all the times when Wendy was endangered slipped back in his mind. "_…. and now the claw is back, which means more danger for Wendy. What the hell am I going to do? I can't lose her! She is the only thing that is important to me….. I won't let that bastard take her from me! I'm not losing someone that important to me again!"_ Van shook indignantly. The thought of the claw always shook him up emotionally.

Van's commotion stirred Wendy back to consciousness. Blinking a couple of times, she raised her eyes to see Van gazing down at her in discomfort.

"Is…is something wrong?" she whispered to him. Yawning and reaching her arms further around his forearm for a better hold, she nestled her head deeper into the cloth of his tuxedo.

He sighed. "I'm fine, just thinking about… " he cut off abruptly, darting his eyes away from her own trembling emerald ones.

Wendy nodded. She understood how hard this must be on him… it was hard on her too. Sitting up right, she looked across her seat and giggled, spotting Joshua's head leaning on a young man's shoulder sitting next to him. The man seemed to not be bothered by it, for he had let Joshua drool all over his nice suit and didn't fuss about it.

"Why did we bring him along again?" Van questioned in a whispered tone.

Wendy squinted at Van and pinched him on the arm, giving him a _Don't you go through this again with me _ look. Turning around she smiled at the man across from her.

"Excuse me sir, I'm so sorry about my friend… he is a friendly person… he just happens to be extremely friendly with you." she chuckled. Joshua snorted quite loud, causing everyone to look over at him. Smacking his lips together noisily, he snuggled closer to the man next to him, making him smile and pat sympathetically on Joshua's head.

"Oh, it is fine miss. It has happened to me all the time." the man simpered.

Attaining a better glance at him, she saw that he appeared to be a business man in his late 20s. He was slender and fine looking, seeming to be from one of those foreign countries, based on his bronzed skin and slurred accent. A purple suit accommodated with a silver tie attired his body. His feet were covered in expensive shiny back shoes, tapping to an unknown beat. Sandy blond hair swooped over one eye and caressed gently down his shoulders. A sea of blue roared in his eyes as he stared back at curious the curious girl across from him. His chin was broad and stuck out, evenly proportioned with his lightly stubbled face. It matched his muscular physic that bulged out of his suit.

Wendy gawked in awe at the handsome fellow in front of her while Van just eyed him jealously. Taking his arm, he draped it around Wendy and glared at the man to show him that she was his. The man just grinned at the two in front of him. Slowly shrugging Joshua off of his shoulder, he stood up so he could give them a proper greeting. Joshua's head just causally rolled back to his original position.

"Hello, my name is Santonaka… but you may call me Santo." he smiled holding out his hand thoughtfully.

Wendy took his hand and shook it happily, while Van just nodded and avoided the kind gesture from Santo.

"Van! Don't be rude!." Wendy whined at him, shooting him another look.

_"Geesh, how many times is she going to give me those looks?" _Van thought agitatedly, squeezing Wendy's shoulder tightly, in annoyance from her reactions.

"Ow!" she whimpered. "Uhhh… sorry I am Wendy, and this is Van." she gestured toward her companion embarrassedly. "O and that is Joshua next to you... I'm terribly sorry for Van's rude behavior" she apologized.

The Van growled, while the man just laughed. He beamed at the two, flashing his brilliant white teeth. "Oh, please don't worry about it, it's fine. ...Hmmm… well, where are you three headed anyways… if I might ask?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow as he sat back down.

Another loud snore came from Joshua, making Wendy giggle slightly.

"Put it a cork in it will ya?" Van shouted kicking his long legs at him.

Joshua just wrinkled his nose in response and kept on sleeping.

"We are heading to Trinolia to find an old friend!" she jeered, excited that he was interested in their adventure. "And you?"

"Ah, I am also heading to Trinolia, but I am not trying to find a friend. I am going to meet my fiance."

"O that is won…" she was cut off by the loud whistle of the train.

"Well, here is our stop. It was nice meeting you folks, but it is time to go our separate ways. Hope you find your companion!" Santo cried out, waving farewell to them as he trotted off of the train.

* * *

><p>Wendy watched him out the train doors in wonder as he turned a corner in the train station and disappeared.<p>

"I don't like him." Van stated a few seconds after, hoisting himself out of his seat.

"Humph… well I thought he was a gentlemen." she objected.

Van squinted his eyes in frustration to her likings of the man, tipping his hat down to hide his face. Walking over to Joshua, he leaned over and put his face right up to Josh's.

"Wake up! Wake up damnit! It is time to go!" he yelled impatiently.

"Huh..? Wa…. are we here?" Joshua moaned, lifting his eyes and gazing around the stationed train groggily. Wiping some of the dried drool off of his face, he slowly got up and stretched his arms up lazily in the air. "O wonderful, we are here!" he cheered looking out the train doors.

Van growled as he shifted back around and stalked out the train doors. Wendy trailed behind, rolling her suitcase off the train into the station.

"Come on, don't drag behind!" he called back to him, mumbling to himself on how much he _didn't _want to do this, and how he just wanted to be alone with Wendy.

Joshua ran up to them happily. "I have been thinking… I'm wondering if Carmen99 is back at her old house?" he asked, pondering on the thought.

"Wait.." Van paused, "Which one is Carmen again?" he asked, furrowing his brows in concentration, trying to remember who this woman was.

"Oh come on Van, you know who she is…. remember… blue hair… hover craft….?" Joshua justified.

"Hmmm…. it rings a bell…." Van shrugged, trudging out of the station.

Wendy wasn't listening, she was observing the scenery around the town, twirling around in her orange dress with the white cuffed quarter inch sleeves. She had always loved this place. The town was different since the last time they had visited. Beautiful, wonderful smelling flowers were scattered around the town. The houses were more beautiful and architecturally designed along with people who seemed to be more gentle in attitude and friendlier. They waved as the three dawdled through the town.

"Excuse me sir!" Joshua called out to an elderly man, tending to his garden. "Do you know where Carmen 99 lives?"

The man smiled and nodded, pointing to a large house white house, a few blocks down.

"Thank you!" he cried out to the man, who went back to gardening.

Finally reaching the house, they knocked on the door.

While waiting for the door to open, Van grasped Wendy's small soft hand and interlaced her fingers with his own. Her body tingled as she held his hand. She looked up to him in adoration as he gazed down at her with a slight grin.

Suddenly the door swung open and out appeared Santo, with a confused smile on his face.

"Well hello again. I'm not the lost friend you are looking for, am I?" he catechized.

"Santo?" came a sing-song voice from inside. "Who is it?" Suddenly a blue haired woman appeared behind the tall man standing in the doorway. She placed her hands on his shoulders, caressing them while she looked out to the three companions.

"Well look who it is. Never thought I'd see you all again." Carmen 99 smirked, not as surprised as they expected.

"You know these people honey?" the man inquired, raising his eyebrows as he scanned the three in front of him.

Carmen nodded.

"Wait… Santo… is Carol your fiance?" Wendy questioned in excitement.

Carmen squinted at her, slightly annoyed. "It's Carmen 99 Wendy." she uttered.

Santo grinned, whipping around to swooped up Carmen off her feet and into his arms. They nuzzled their noses together, sinking into each other's gazes.

Van made a disgusted face as the two went lovey dovey mode in front of him.

"Yes she is Wendy, Carmen and I are going to get married in two days!" he claimed.

The three had dropped their mouths open in shock... how were they going to get Carmen back together with their group now?


	4. Chapter 4: Evidence and Suspicions

"Your getting married?" Joshua cried in excitement. "That is wonderful news!"

"I know Isn't it? It's just pretty damn great if you ask me!" Carmen jeered. "I finally found myself a man who can actually remember my name!" she claimed, shooting Van a dirty look.

He looked back at her with a shrug, not caring the slightest on what was happening. His stomach rumbled in hunger.

"Uh… so can we come in? And hey can we have something to eat while we are here too?" he suggested, eager to fill his belly with some food. Wendy sighed, for she knew she couldn't keep yelling at him consistently for his disrespectful behavior. Keeping quite, she squinted her eyes and allowed this one to slide.

"Sure! Why not? My treat!" the blue haired woman offered. She was overjoyed to share the news with some old friends, even if she didn't get the reaction from Van that she had wanted. "_Oh well" _she thought, brushing off the whole plan in her head as if it had never occurred.

Her fiance, Santo, smiled giving an inviting hand into the ginormous house. Heading to the kitchen, The three _(not so much Van)_ gaped in awe while they walked through a long hallway. They stared at the magnificently painted Japanese wallprints along with very expensive statues that lined the hallway. Looking above, the ceiling was draped with chandeliers that were made out of glimmering crystals, shining off of the rays of light. Up on the second story was a mahogany barred balcony that barricaded the second floor. High on the walls were large stain glass windows that had light pouring through in many colours making the house look even more magnificent than it already was.

"Carol.." Wendy whispered in amazement.

"Carmen 99!" Carmen sang, slightly annoyed.

"Carmen, wow… it is amazing how did.."

"I did business over seas, I'm a very good bargainer." she laughed, turning her head slightly and giving Wendy a wink. They entered a spotless marble kitchen. It was aligned with all new kitchen wear, utensils and utilities for cooking. Chef made pastries were stacked neatly on a lonely table, cluttered with silver chairs. The scent of cooking food filled the air as a plump man in a white chef outfit, labored over a burning stove, mixing and tasting a pot of … something that scented of deliciousness.

"Guys this is Bruno, our chef." Carmen introduced the man cockily. Bruno just grunted in reply. focusing steadily on his food. She was a little too overjoyed to show off her valuable and expensive belongings to her friends.

Van ignored Carmen and only stared at the exquisite deserts in front of him, his mouth dripping with drool.

"Ya got any condiments?" he asked, picking up a small fluffy white cake covered in blue and yellow frosting, and observed it in his slender hands.

"Condiments? Condiments, my dear sir, are flavour destroyers. A food made by a chef, tastes only best by itself" Bruno stated in a slurred accent, not bothering to turn around.

"That is what I've been trying to tell him for a long time." Wendy grumbled agitatedly. "Can't you just eat something with out some dressing for once?" Wendy pleaded, giving him a puppy dog look; with the quivering eyes and pouting lower lip.

Van growled, giving in to her cuteness and took a bite out of the petite treat.

"**DAMN THAT IS SWEET!**" he cried out, shoving more of the cake in his mouth.

Only Santo and Bruno jumped back in surprise to his sudden reaction, while the other three just laughed.

"See, told you you'd like it." Wendy teased. Van smiled lightly and walked over to interlock his hand with her's.

Carmen noticed this and stared at their hands in curiosity. "Wait.. don't tell me you two are…. a _dating?"_ she scoffed, hinting a bit of jealousy in her voice.

Wendy blushed and stared at the floor while Van scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking hard on what to name their relationship.

"Uhh… yea… I guess." he uttered, thinking of nothing better to call it.

"Well I'd never expect that to happen Van!" she cried slyly. "Way to get him Wendy." she smirked over at the orang haired girl swaying in embarrassment. She turned over to Joshua "O, and I guess you are with Yukkiko too, right?" she mocked. "Where is she anyways?"

Joshua's face turned dark and his eyes squinted in anger. "He took her…" he uttered angrily under his breath.

Carmen stopped laughing and looked at him in confusion. "Wait… who? Is this why you are here?"

Van twitched a little in anger, his eyes deep red. "The claw…" he breathed.

"Van, come on now, not this again. You killed him remember? Sliced him in half?" she tried to inform him.

He lifted his hat to show the hatred in his eyes. "Well apparently that isn't enough now isn't it! The bastard is loose again!" Wendy flinched as he let go of her hand and stormed over to Joshua who was sulking quietly. Whipping him around he took his long blue jacket/cardigan and lifted it up to show three scars sliced into Joshua's back.

Carmen's eyes widened in shock. She staggered back a few steps falling into Santo's arms. Her fiance didn't say anything though, he just stared at the scars on Joshua's back blankly as if he was in a trance. Van eyed him suspiciously.

"Hey…Santo, you don't know anything about his man, do ya?" he asked.

Santo blinked back to reality "Uh… no… no I haven't" he murmured still in a slight daze.

Carmen lifted back up and walked up to the three. "So why did you bring me this terrible news?"

"Wa..? .. We need your help Carmen! He captured Yukkiko and is keeping her hostage!" Joshua cried out in vain.

* * *

><p>Suddenly a thought popped up into Wendy's mind. "Hey Joshua…. how did this happen any ways?"<p>

Joshua looked down and shuffled his feet. "Well Yukkiko and I were out on a date out in a fancy restaurant. And … suddenly the lights went out and all you could hear were bangs and crashes. Then Yukkiko screamed while the lights flicked on and I looked over to see men dragging her away. I tried to stop them but then…. " he gulped "… the claw stepped in front of me and gave me the creepiest smile… and slashed me hard on the back. I fell to the floor unconscious and when I woke back up they were gone… thankfully I was close enough to where Wendy lived, so I staggered all the way to her house." he finished.

"So, do you know where they took Yukikko?" Carmen questioned.

"Uh..no" he responded quietly.

"Where they are right now?"

"…no.."

"Where they are heading?"

"No… sorry."

Van furiously clutched Joshua's shirt and yanked it down, making him yelp in pain. Van shoved him in a corner threateningly and began to go on a tantrum.

"WHAT THE HELL! ARE YOU KIDDING ME JOSHUA? YOU DON't KNOW WHERE HE IS! YOU HAVE NO CLUE OR EVIDENCE WHAT SO EVER?"

Joshua whimpered in fright and shakily stuck his hand into his blue jacket pocket, pulling out a a strange device.

"They… they left this behind." he stammered.

Van snatched it up from his hands and observed the device carefully.

"I think it is an electronic map of their head quarters." Josh commented.

Van squinted down at it, and just nodded in agreement… he really couldn't tell what the hell it was.

"Well.. here is our lead then." he grunted tossing it back to him.

"So uh.. Caro… I mean Carmen, will you please join us to bring the whole team back together to save Yukikko?" Wendy begged.

Carmen looked up at Santo. "Let's help them honey, our wedding can wait until later." he purred, lifting up her chin with his fingers, and gently kissing her on the lips.

She sighed in defeat "I guess I could use a little more crime fighting before I get eloped." she said, laughing at her own joke. "But Santo has to come along he will be great help, he is an armor rider too!" she added enthusiastically.

Van raised an eyebrow in interest, but then lowered it back down. _"He was probably one of the those dumb ass bafoons that thinks a piece of junk metal is armor." _ he thought rolling his eyes.

"hmhh…" he mumbled.

"Great!...well, you might as well stay here for the night." she noted looking at the falling sun.

"Perfect! And then we can all head off at morning!" Joshua chimed in.

"So… I'll just show you your bedrooms while we wait for Bruno cook! Come on you lazy asses!" she exclaimed, walking out of the hallway, gesturing for the three to follow them. "See you in a few honey!" she cooed out to her fiance.

Wendy sighed in relief _"Thank gosh Carmen cooperated so easily, we already have enough things on our plate as it is."_ she thought to herself.

"Here's your room Wendy!" Carmen pointed to a white door.

"Thanks!" Wendy waved back at them, while they continued to walk down the hall way. Stepping into the room she flopped down on a fluffy red bed, ignoring the brilliant decor to take a _long relaxing_ nap.

* * *

><p><strong>NA: Hey guys! Hope you are liking these stories so far! Please review or critic to help me improve my writing.. or just tell me how you love or like in this story! And the adventure goes on! :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Mysteries Begin to Develop

A knock on the door stirred Wendy awake from her contorted sleeping position on the bed.

"Hey.. uuuh… you awake?" came Van's deep voice from the other side.

Rolling over on the bed, she propped her self up; stretching and giving a big yawn. "Yea, just woke up." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Can I come in?"

"O! Sure.. hold on!" Standing up, she straightened out her dress and hastily braided her sloppy tousled, orange hair.

Van quietly opened the door and stepped in. As she looked at him, she observed the dark circles that were traced underneath his glossy red eyes. He looked exhausted, but the sight of her brightened his face. Walking up to him she cupped the side of his face in her hand apprehensively.

"Van, you look exhausted! Did you even get any sleep?" she asked, her eyes quivering with worry.

Van gazed deep into the emerald gems in her eyes with love. Raising his hand he laid it on her own small creamy white one; which was gently caressing the scruff on his jawline.

"No, I stayed outside your door to make sure you got your rest and that no one disturbed you."

Wendy smiled wearily. "Well, I got my rest and now you need to get yours. Go lie down on my bed for right now, I'm fine." she assured, grabbing his hand to lead him over to her fluffy plush bed.

Van uttered some words of disagreement under his breath, but didn't resist. _I **am** really tired. H_e admitted to himself. Climbing on the bed, he stretched out his long legs out and slid his arms in a comfortable position behind his head.

Wendy smiled in satisfaction and turned around to head out. Suddenly, her arm was gripped firmly by Van's strong, and steady hands. He pulled her back over to him not willing to release her arm.

"Where the hell do you think your goin' ?" he murmured with a hint of exhaustion; his hat tipped down casting a shadow over his face covering his facial expressions.

"Oh… I.. uh.." she blushed "I thought that I should leave you alone and let you sleep.." Wendy stated, shifting back and forth in her shoes.

"The only way I can get to sleep is if you are here next to me."

"But…"

"Just shut up for once and lay down." he demanded, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her onto to bed next to him. Wendy's cheeks burned as Van's lanky, yet strong arms held her tight, as if she was a child's teddy bear. She giggled laid there nestled into Van's body. Listening to his abiding heart beats she slowly nodded back to sleep, Van drifting off right after.

* * *

><p>While the two slept upstairs, Down stairs a blue hair woman was staring, distressed, out a large glass paned window. Her arms were positioned on her tight red pants as she stood in a worried pose. She released a sigh.<p>

"Carmen, is something wrong?" Santo asked from behind her in his thick slurred accent. He silently walked up to her and nestled his tan face into her soft locks.

"I'm fine, it's just… I thought….." she pushed him away to look up into his sea of blue eyes which were full with concern. "I thought this guy was gone for good… We are supposed to get married Santo! I don't want to be involved with this again."

Santo nodded in agreement, brushing some hair out of her battering eyes. "We don't have to go through with this you know." he murmured, kissing her gently on the head.

"No… I need to help Yukkiko, I owe her…" she confided. "This man is crazy anyways… we need to get rid of him.. for good."

"This man you speak of, who is he exactly?" Santo asked, reaching and softly grabbing ahold of her wrists. "Is he truly a menace?"

"The Claw? He is the reason why those three are here right now! That scoundrel ripped away someone from each of their lives." Carmen shifted her gaze to the side of the room, her eyes shook as an old memory passed through her mind.

Suddenly Santo's grip tightened and his whole body tensed up. Turned her head back to his face, she gazed at him in suspicion.

"You are not over exaggerating are you? I mean, I think I've heard of him and the ideas he had weren't so bad." he concluded.

Carmen raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "You.. you think he had brilliant ideas?" she cried angrily.

"Well, I mean.. everyone deserves a chance." he shrugged in a persuasive manner.

Her eyes widened extensively. "ARE YOU JOKING ME!" she roared.

Santo looked at her in sorrow. "No." He freed her wrists from his grip and put one behind his neck, rubbing it shamefully. Taking her chin, he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. Carmen's eyes were wide and full of confusion.

"I love you and always will." he whispered despondently. Turning slowly he sauntered toward the door that lead outside.

"Wha… Where the hell are you going?" Carmen cried out to him. Fury began to bubble into her system. _What's going on? Why is he acting like this? _ she thought frantically.

He stopped but didn't turn around to face her. Santo's shoulders were slumped down and his head hung low. "I… I have to leave… I'm sorry Carmen…" he murmured in anguish. With that being his last words she watched him completely stunned as he quietly walked out the door.

"You… YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she bellowed, running toward where he left, with the idea in her mind of catching him. Whipping open the door, she wildly scanned outside to see where he had gone. Santo was gone, he had disappeared into thin air. She slammed the door and yelled out in indignation at the top of her lungs.

"Carmen?" came a soft, tranquil voice from behind her.

She slowly turned around, tears rimming the edges of her eyes. They were threatening to slide down the side of her face. "What do you want?" she growled, avoiding eye contact with the person while rubbing her eyes with her half slit, black leather gloves.

It was Joshua; his blond hair was mangled from sleep and his eyes were glassy and red. "I heard you yelling… I came down to make sure you were ok." His voice was full with concern.

Carmen sniffled, but gathered up enough strength to pull herself back up. "I'm fine." She managed to choke out. Standing up, she gave him a small smirk trying to guise her true emotions. Although, Joshua could tell by the sadness in her eyes; something was terribly wrong.

Before he could interject, she stated, "We should get going to get the El Dirado five."

He nodded his head, but a thought came up that he had to ask. "Carmen, it's ben ten years.. what if all of them are… dead?"

Carmen scoffed at his question. "You kidding me? They are attached to that armor they ride in! They aren't able to die until their armor dies. It's pretty much the same thing as Van and Dan." she pointed out.

Joshua smiled brightly. "Great! I guess I'll go wake up Van and Wendy so we can go!" he declared, gamboling back up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Carmen depressively walked back into the kitchen to where Bruno was flipping through a cooking book.<p>

"Miss Carmen!" he gasped, surprised to see her unexpected presence. Quickly slamming closed the book, he shoved it into a little shelve and ran over to her in excitement. He was a short hefty man. Thick curly black hair framed his rosy cheeks, that puffed out around his black eyes. A pencil thin mustache was grown above his lips and curled up on the sides of his face. He grinned up at her, revealing some yellow crooked teeth. "Would Miss Carmen like Bruno to make her something?" he asked in his thick foreign accent.

"No Bruno.." she sighed. "Your services are no longer needed here.. Santo is gone."

The chef bowed his head understandingly. "_**Li vaig dir que ella no estava **__**d'acord."**_ the man uttered underneath his breath. Shaking his head he sighed in dissatisfaction. "Bruno will leave now." he concluded, swiveling around and shuffling away.

Carmen was in the kitchen alone now. She grabbed a glass container full of sugar, and scrutinized the miniature crystals inside it. Every sugar, spice, and liquid was given to her by her Santo. Angrily she chucked the sugar on the floor. It broke, and shards of glass and sugar grains dispersed all over the floor. Carmen slumped to the ground, her palms faced up as if she was waiting to receive something.

"Damnit Santo!" she sobbed, burying her head between her knees and running her hands through her hair. Anger flowed through her body, she was going to find him and take revenge on that son of a bitch.

_No one leaves me right before our wedding and get's away with it. _Carmen cursed. She raised up and slammed her hand on the table. _She would make sure she would find him… he'd rue the day he left her._

* * *

><p>"Wendy! Are you up? We have to go!" Joshua called out from the other side of Wendy's room.<p>

Van moaned at Joshua's load whiney voice. "Go back to bed Joshua!" he yelled. Looking down, he observed Wendy snoring softly in his arms. He slid her closer to his body, trying hard to not wake her up.

On the other side of the door, Joshua was in shock that he heard Van's voice in Wendy's room. "Uh... Van, we have to leave now, we need to start heading out to get the El Dirado five." he stammered.

Van rolled his eyes, "Ok, we will be there... now go away." He waited until he heard Joshua's soft footsteps tiptoe away.

Bending his head down, he bit softly on Wendy's ear.

"Wa.. huh?" Wendy startled, rolling over to face Van who was peering down at her.

"Hey.." he murmured, taking a piece of her hair and twirling it around his finger.

"Hey." she whispered back, yawning and curling up to his body while placing a hand on his bare chest.

Van's heart jumped slightly at the touch of soft hands. "We have to go, we are going to start leaving to retrieve the old geezers soon."

Wendy smiled. "That is great. Let's get up then."

"Ok, but hold on." Van leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Wendy's. She dug her fingers into his skin as he leaned his body into hers, their mouths moving up and down compassionately. Their actions began to spruce up when suddenly Van pulled off her lips and stopped everything.

"Wendy." he gasped for air.

Looking up at him in confusion, she raised her eyebrows to show she was attentive.

"Yes?"

"Remember how I told you that people who are in love should get married, and when you are married then... then you can make love?" he stated, entwining out of their embrace, and off the bed.

She nodded.

"Well, I think we need to wait..."

Her eyes dropped. "Oh, yes I understand." she confirmed.

"Wendy." he lifted her chin up so she would look into his dark red eyes. "I love you and I do want to spend the rest of my life with you.. Will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened as he pulled out a black box from the inside of his jacket. Opening it up, he revealed a beautiful diamond ring.

" Van... It's beautiful."

"It was Elena's..." he whispered.

"Yes..." she affirmed, pushing her self up and sprang excitedly on Van. They rolled on the floor, kissing each other romantically. Tears of joy rolled down Wendy's cheeks as she accepted Van's warms soft lips and melted into his arms. Sitting up, he slid the perfectly fit ring onto Wendy's finger.

"Perfect" they both stated simultaneously.

"Hey, you two love birds coming down yet?" hollered Carmen's voice suddenly from downstairs. Apparently, Joshua had already informed Carmen about Van being in Wendy's room. It didn't matter though, they were getting married and that was what the two cared about.

"Let's go." Van gestured. Both lifting up off the floor, they interlocked their fingers together and headed off downstairs.

**N/A: So I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Volleyball, school, basketball have consumed my life.. plus all the other stories I'm writing or trying to update. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review and comment and tell me what you like or what I need to improve on! Critiques are always great! CIAO!**


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